Motivation is connected to concepts dear to higher education – intellectual curiosity, grit, resilience, persistence, achievement, ambition. Whether the aim is to motivate first-year undergraduates to turn up to class or to create the conditions for researchers to make groundbreaking discoveries, the drivers of motivation lie in a complex blend of reward, incentive, consequences, emotions and self-determination. So, how can academics harness the forces that drive human behaviour to progress teaching and research? In this collection, academics from around the world provide explainers and practical advice on how to instil the value of learning in students, pedagogies and techniques that sustain interest and engagement even when AI could take over many assignments, and how to tame your inner procrastinator.
What motivates students to show up and learn?
Motivation drives students to learn and achieve their goals while at university, but it comes in different forms. If lecturers want students to fully engage with their teaching and subject throughout a course, the motivators need to run deeper than simply a desire for good end-of-year exam results. Students need to see value in the learning itself. How educators achieve this is a complex question, but the resources here provide useful pointers from a model to motivate students to come to class to giving students greater agency and self-direction and, of course, rewarding hard work.
How to motivate students? The answer hasn’t changed: Whether educators want students with high-quality motivation or just bums on seats will impact the way they approach teaching, writes Ian Taylor from Loughborough University.
Tackling declining attendance with the ‘show up’ mindset: A model that instils in students a commitment to ‘showing up’ from day one can improve attendance and foster long-term engagement, as Maya Cara and Nina Seppala from UCL explain.
How immediate feedback motivates both students and educators: Digital tools can give teachers on-the-spot feedback from students and students access to their results and progress in real time. László Tornóci of Semmelweis University looks at a changing landscape from both sides.
Motivation by design: faculty-led strategies for learning that matters: Apps or algorithms alone won’t drive the students to learn. Rather, it will be faculty domain expertise that aligns with how they think, work and learn. Margaret Ellis from Virginia Tech offers ways to design learning for student motivation.
A ‘motivation and engagement wheel’ to keep students on board: The wheel model was designed to help demystify student motivation and provide targeted help where and when necessary, writes Andrew J. Martin from UNSW Sydney.
The case for rewarding hard work in higher education: Taking a cue from copyright’s ‘sweat of the brow’, Ian Solway and Shan Wang from the University of Southampton argue that recognition of effort and resilience should not be lost in a rush to maximise learning efficiency.
Techniques to drive student engagement in the classroom
With generative artificial intelligence presenting a new test to student motivation – why write an essay when ChatGPT can do it for you? – educators need to think differently about how to engage learners and build their intrinsic desire to learn. These resources look at strategies to maintain momentum after the initial spark has faded, to build students’ connections with classmates and to use technology – including those same AI tools – to spur creative modes of learning.
Beyond grades: rethinking student motivation in the GenAI era: Alison Hill and Yusra Siddiqui from the University of Exeter share inclusive, creative and sustainable strategies – from playful learning to co-created assessments – to motivate students.
Seven strategies to fuel students’ motivation: Keep your students motivated – not just for one class, but across a whole term. Hanife Bensen Bostanci from Near East University lists ways to build sustained motivation in the classroom.
The joy of simplicity: techniques that motivate, engage and foster learning in lectures: Educators have an array of high-tech ways to engage students in lectures, but let’s not forget the simple methods that don’t require any technology, writes Alison Zimmer from the University of Manchester.
How an AI video competition can enhance student engagement: Autonomy to choose group-work partners and open-ended topics are among the strategies that get first-year students on board, writes Xi Chen from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
Focused freewriting is the cure for students’ writer’s block: Freewriting for five minutes warms up the brain and begins to fill students’ blank screens with material that gets their writing going. Anne Carlisle from Colorado State University Global talks through the process.
Ways to motivate online learning
Remote learning offers students flexibility, but it presents significant challenges for educators faced with blank screens and mute icons. Here, lecturers offer ways to re-engage students in online courses through games, direct communication, community building, and demonstrating care for their progress and participation.
How to boost student motivation and engagement in virtual classrooms: Adela Vega Guerra and Angeles Carolina Aguirre Acosta from Monterrey Institute of Technology share practical strategies – from clear communication to inclusive pedagogy – that help educators foster participation and motivation in digital learning.
Strategies to motivate students in asynchronous learning: Its self-directed nature makes it easy for students to disengage from asynchronous learning. Guhuai Jiang and Jiayu Zhou from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University offer strategies that boost students’ motivation when working on their own.
Lessons in motivating students to learn online: Teaching interdisciplinary modules online can be an uphill battle, but it offers important lessons in the art of motivating students to learn, as Jonathan Sim from the National University of Singapore explains.
Using gamification as an incentive for revision: Novelty, competition and engagement give gamification an edge when it comes to getting students to revise. In this video, academics from the University of Queensland explain how they use The Chase from H5P in a hybrid course.
Get time management on your side and beat procrastination
Perfectionism, impostor syndrome, spiralling to-do lists, the search for perfect writing conditions – all these can undermine productivity. These practical tips aim to help academics at all stages use their time better and stay in control of workloads. Spoiler alert: the key lies in just getting started.
Bad news, kids (and academics): the magical motivation fairy doesn’t exist: Motivation for tricky tasks doesn’t just appear magically, but with these psychological tricks you can get yourself and your career moving, says Hugh Kearns of Flinders University.
Get yourself unstuck: overthinking is boring and perfectionism is a trap: David Thompson from the University of Lincoln unpacks what educators can do to help high-performing students navigate the pressure to succeed and move from stuck to started.
Five ways to beat the procrastination monster: Writing and procrastination often go together like pen and paper, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here, Glenn Fosbraey from the University of Winchester offers strategies to stop putting off putting words on the page.
Tame the to-do list and manage an academic workload: Reduce procrastination, forget multitasking and get the to-do list done. Kaihan Yang and Ben K. Goh of the Macau University of Science and Technology offer six practical ways to balance teaching, research and service for university faculty.
Motivation as an academic career skill
From early career research to leadership, much success in academia relies on individual, self-directed motivation. How then can academics maintain their passion and love for their work and avoid falling victim to stress and burnout? And create the right conditions for academic peers and colleagues to progress and thrive? Here are ways to do so.
How to find passion in your work – and sustain it: A simple strategy to sustain passion and enthusiasm for your work by keeping big dreams in view while celebrating each small step, shared by Eleanor Cook of the University of Exeter
How to succeed as an early career researcher? Be motivated and inspire others: Pursuing a research career, especially in a competitive field such as neuroscience, requires commitment, early action, long-term goals and, above all, ongoing passion and curiosity about your field, explains András Attila Horváth from Semmelweis University.
How to create an environment your employees can thrive in: Creating a workplace culture in which your employees can develop and grow requires intentional leadership. Judy Holmes from Colorado State University Global looks at how to cultivate a nurturing environment and reap the benefits.
How to write even when the words won’t come: Books, articles and grant proposals do not arrive in a single stroke. They are created, like sculptures, through a thousand small movements. Here, Catherine De Vries of Bocconi University explains how to develop ‘skill power’.
The link between motivation and well-being for students and university staff
Humans are motivated to do things that make them feel good. The powerful role of emotions in motivation should underpin effective staff and student support, as these articles show. Stress, lack of autonomy over workloads and timetables and competing demands can all chip away at positive work habits. Here, experts explain the intersections and offer techniques for establishing balance.
Emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn? If educators understand how emotional states affect learning, they can work with this to enhance the learning experience. Here, academics from the University of Queensland share six strategies to manage the role of emotions in learning.
What self-determination theory can do for post-pandemic college students: Incoming university students are more stressed, anxious and distracted than ever. Cathy A. Pohan and Melissa Samaniego from Chapman University explain how to support their psychological needs.
What is your academic writing temperament? Many early career researchers struggle to write enough. The key is to move away from an abstract notion of productivity and towards a productive writing process, explains Rachael Cayley of the University of Toronto. Here, she offers questions to help ECRs find their writing rhythm.
Use coaching to help students juggle the pressures of academic life: Academic expectations and personal responsibilities are crushing students’ mental health, write Bavani Divo and May Lim from Singapore Institute of Technology. Could coaching offer them a way to take control of their own learning?
Protect your emotional well-being for a happier writing experience: Writing academic papers can be a long and emotional journey. Burcu Totur Dikmen from Near East University offers her tips for emotional well-being.
How resetting motivations can help faculty achieve better teaching and well-being during challenging times: Faculty members’ personal motivations impacted their attitudes towards meeting the challenges of the pandemic, and in turn, their well-being and teaching quality, write academics from the University of Augsburg and the University of Mannheim.
Thank you to all who contributed their expertise and insight to this guide.
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